Joe Rogan: Spotify might have bigger problem on its hands, warns BCU expert

Dr Matt Grimes - senior lecturer in Music Industries and Radio at Birmingham City University - has spoken out about Spotify’s decision to remove Neil Young’s music from its streaming service.

Spotify took down the musician’s work after he called on the platform to choose between him and US broadcaster Joe Rogan who has been accused of spreading misinformation about Covid vaccines on his podcast.

Dr Grimes said: “Should Rogan be silenced or curbed? If younger artists, with big audiences and fanbases feel that their political voices are being compromised or start voicing concerns over Spotify allowing misinformation to be broadcast on is platform, and withdraw their music then Spotify might potentially have a bigger problem on its hands.”

Dr Grimes also said that the streaming giant’s removal of Young’s music could even signal a move away from its dominant music content and towards audio and podcast.

He added: “Catalogue artists like Neil Young do generate a significant income stream for Spotify (and themselves) and also have some political and cultural influence. Weighed up against Joe Rogan’s reported $100m deal with the streaming behemoth though, it’s simply not enough hence Spotify removing Young’s music as a ‘pre-emptive strike’.

“Does this action mean that Spotify supports the sharing of Covid misinformation? No - it means Spotify primarily supports money making.

Jo Rogan’s podcast, launched in 2009 discussing politics, the media, sports and current affairs. It regularly received millions of views per episode and has made Rogan an extremely popular cultural figure in the US.

Spotify currently hosts the controversial podcast, and ultimately sided with Rogan when asked by Young to choose between the two.

Following Young’s exit from Spotify, fellow musician Joni Mitchell also followed suit, saying it was in “solidarity” with him.

Dr Grimes continued: “If this is a test about whether Spotify values audio and podcast content over music content, which makes up 95% of its overall revenue, then it seems that audio comes first.

“Rogan is very much a contemporary audio creator that garners huge audiences for his controversial podcast series. Neil Young , who is renowned for his outspoken political beliefs, could be argued to have less of a draw to a younger demographic.

“Perhaps this is a sign leading to another issue about Spotify perhaps wanting to move from being just a music streaming platform to a media production model embracing more podcast-style content. If we think of the major music businesses such as Warner, Sony, Universal, they have over the years moved away from the traditional recorded music model and become content creation companies.”

What has Rogan said?

Rogan himself has said he will try to “balance out” the opinions expressed on his show following the controversy.

In a video posted to Instagram, Rogan said he supported plans which are now in place by Spotify to add content advisories to episodes that discuss Covid.

Responding to claims he has spread dangerous misinformation about the virus, the podcaster said he was “interested in having conversations with people that have differing opinions” and was not focused on “only talking to people that have one perspective”.

He apologised if he offended anyone and added that he “was not trying to promote misinformation” and said he would “try harder to get people with differing opinions” immediately after those with controversial opinions who appear.

What has Neil Young said?

In an open letter posted on his website, Young said that Spotify could have “Rogan or Young. Not Both”.

The letter, which was addressed to his manager and record label, Young wrote: “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines - potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.

Young specifically named Rogan and his podcast, which was acquired by Spotify in 2020, reportedly for more than $100 million dollars (£77m).

He said: “With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, [The Joe Rogan Experience], which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence.

“Spotify has a responsibility to to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.

“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform… They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.

Spotify to set up content advisory

Spotify has now responded to the mounting controversy surrounding it hosting the podcast.

On Sunday (30 January), the platform’s chief executive Daniel Ek issued a statement to say it is working on a “new effort to combat misinformation”, which will roll out to countries around the world “in the coming days”.

The core of this new strategy is a content advisory that can be added to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about Covid-19.

Listeners who access content that talks about the virus will be directed to a dedicated website that “provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources”.

Ek said Spotify has “a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users.

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